The Sun. — London, England, 1808-01-22 00:00:00

NUMBER .4781.1 IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. . - HOUSE OF PEERS, '.THURSDAY, JAN. 21. ;. • • This day His Majesty opened the Sitting of Par - Lament by Commission. The Commissioners who . • represented his Majesty were, the ARCHBISHOP of ' CANTERBURY the LORD CHANCELLOR,' the LORD NESIDENT-Of the Cos , lam (Lord Cssunesr),. Lord AVLESFORD, and Lord WINCHILSEA. SOOII after three o'clock, the Lords Commissioners haVing taken their seats, the following Peers were introduced Lord Gees?, Lordimsz, Lord GAMBYBR, and Lprd BROWSLOW. A Message was then 'sent to the House of Corn mons, by the Black Rod, requiring their attendance a the Bar "Of the House, to hear his Majesty's Speech 'read: The SPEAKBR and several Members attended accordingly s when the LORD CHANCHL i^R read ihe Speech from thaVoolsackas given . in 'Tins Ssn yesterday. Tlte, art of GiILLOTP./11' then rose, to Move. an Address to his Majesty, and . d e livered himself nearly as follows :--- My Lor4--After the Speech Which your Lord ships have just heard delivered by his Majesty's Command, it is expetled that some Aleinber of this House should present himself to your notice, to solicit that attention which the :importance of the aubjea demands ; and by endeavouring to obtain your cordial concurrence in an. Address of Thanks to his Majesty,. for his gracious communication, to mark your approval of the sentiments it contains. I, Can assure your'Lordships I am perfeEtly .aWare of the inadequacy Of my abilities to open subjeas of the Magnitude and importance of those now offered for your disCussion : but you will separate the Advo .cate from the•Caase, and I trust he dispesed to ex tend to the 'former that indulgence which it is year , Lordship,' invariable pre ice to do, at the same time doing ample justice to the serious import of the other. 1 must clsiin also your Lordships' indul gence in. cotisideration 01 my habits. and pursuits, which bay* differed widely from those which are requisite to qualify me to make an adequate appeal to an Assembly like this but again I trust this cip-, tcieney on my part will is some measure. be supplied by the goodness of the cause I have to advance. will not COIISIIMIS more of your Lordships' time by it longer preamble, being sensible many Noble Lords mill be extremely anxious to deliver their opinions also ; I shall tlierefcse proceed to animadvert upon the prominent features of the Speech, leaving to others the detail, who will be better able to do iustiee to the same. In the first place, my Lords, :we are informed in the Speech, that soon after 2*sisaty of Tilsit had announced the dere talon of Russia to the cause she had espoused, . his Majesty's Ministers received the most clear and positive information that it was the inren • tion of the Enemy to compel the Courts of benniark and Portugal to subscribe their navies to a general Confedetacy about to be formed against this ountry, and with a promptitude and deciSion that sloes them infinite credit, they immediately resolved to frustrate so formidable a combination. •It is knoWn to your Lordships, that this has been effea ed, with respc& to . Denmark, by force of arms. The hostile sentiments of that Court evinced In many Islyi during some years past, rendered fruitless every tither mode of proceeding. It was an unfortunate tircumstance, my Lords, that the Danish Fleet, the only obje& of our solicitude, should be encircled by the 'walls of the Capital, thereby causing misfortunes which every humane Mind %would. wish to have avoided; but it is creditable to the arms of this Country, and meritorious in the Officers command ing the Expedition, that every attempt was nude to prevent a loss that was inevitable. As soon as suc cess, my Lords, enabled you to judgefor yourselves, you found verified every predidion of the Govern tnent ; an arsenal °vet supplied with every material ,of equipment,' magazines replete with stores, ascer tained to have been purchased by the Agents of Frauce, and those demonstrations which could not escape the eye`of seamen, that the Fleet was upon the eve of being fitted Out. The result I need not add ; that, Fleet is qow safe and secure in the har bours of - England, ready, if necessary, to be cm, Ployed in her defenee; and by so many ships of the Mine of which it is composed, by so many degrees do I consider the liberties of this envied Country more secure. My Lords, it is justly said in the Speech, `''hat to place out of the roach of this Confederacy the Fleets of Portugal find Denmark, was the indis ensable duty of Majesty." And yet, roy Lorsis, have heard it rumoured, that a difference of opi-, nion exists upon this' subject (not in the COuntry, but with some MeMbers of your Lordships' House). If that is the case, I Own I ant curious to learn the argument that is to be advanced. Is it possible, my 141 , 4 rds, 'that any candid and impartial person can doub t , the paramount nacessity'of this Expedition ? Permit me, 'my Lords,' to `put the case the other Way, and to suppose that his Majesty's Ministers, Confiding in what is termed tholaith of Treaties, and refusing all other evidence, had negleaed to avail themselves of the naval superiority of this Country to secure the Danish Fleet, what would have been the result ? Will any man doubt that the Speech would now dire& us to prepare against a naval Con federacy composed of . a force equal to forty sail of the line, from supposieg the independent. Monarch of SWeden had been able to remain a quiet spedas that.this force was destined against. the - `vulnerable parts of:thei Empire. My Lords, Would not indignation 'have swelled the breast of every wan in this country against a *Govern inept so deficient and remiss - ? Censure would then ha ve . een appro. priate,;' at pre . sotit I cannot admit it to be so, it the Idea does t. It is gratifying, my Lords, to re flea upon the aean s sinployed to secure the .Navy (,).I : ‘ P,O s itu e lal s ,*(o,sn r. the siirattp Of „Frances by mom. . . • I 4 `.‘k Ato e i N ji , , • 4. , :v. • - E i - , ... , 5.....' ,;(:, .....!... . ei t .,. , , . ~....; . . li2ol A4f . tb i• , • •1, • *T I,3 t 1 . . . ..,.;.., i34lt.tk` i i i s'' • ''. • ~ ' . . . ' ' • le D A Y, JANUAY 22, 1808. . . . mending to the Coprt t o transfer the seat of their :Government to theßraiils ; it is gratifying - to see one Government of : Europe . prefer emigration to submission to France. . My Lords, I consider that event (next to securing the Danish Fleet) the most • coniequent ial that has occurred since the commence ment of this eventful War, and provided a stria friendship and liberal policy is pursued. by both Na tions, the most . beneficial results are likely tci be seen. It is gratifying also to relied, my Lords, that at the veryenotnent , when our , Merchants are de prived of their trade With Russia, so large a portion . ofthe Continent of. America is thrown open to their - enterprise: Upon our late transadions with Russia, my Lords, I do -not. mean to dwell ; 'every one of your Lordshipainust have read his Majesty's Reply to the aspersions of the. Court .of St. Petershurgh ; • and every candid. and impattialimind. must. be satins fled that the.conclud of England is justified Ma mane nee as honourable: for. the Nadon, as creditable to those who framed , that State Papete . but, my Lords, I am anxious i to -.- extra& some !-good . out of this evil, and I forebode a. benefit to arise to thisi.Countrveeven from the clerelietion of Bes sie ; I hope; nip Lords, we shall become indepen• • dent 'of tier forever. , It' the Legislature-of these kingdoms will grant_.a.liberal bounty to encourage. the cultivation of hemp and flax, both at home and in the. British Colonies e t we .may yet live to greet the day of our quarrel , -with Russia, and.. even hail with satisladion the inauspicious Treaty.of Tilsit.— With respea to the other Powers of Europe, my Lords, with thesingle exception of Sweden, they are :prostrate at the feet of France, and until national energy and spirit returnseehey must obey the man dates of their domineering master. But the conduel and spirit of thejedependent Menarch of Sweden merits every eulogium ; may he be successful to the last, and may eve grant him all that aid so pointedly recommended by:hiteMajesty,eand which such con stancy and courage deserves. I trust, my Lords, a British' ferce will aid him in the Baltic, to defy his f enemies, and that British gratitude :will compensate any loss.heenay be.cibliged to. sutler, by transferring to him some of these , . Colonies we can so well spare, and must soon take from our joint foes. My Lords, I wish it was possible • to animadvert with satisfaCtion upon - the condud of the United States of America ; local,kuowiedge, obtained, by me at the early periods of the French Revolution, enables . Me to form a very decided opinion with respell to i that country, and I our sorry to say, my . Lords, I cannot form a flattering one. I am, however, hap py to learn, by the tenor of the Speech, that it is not the intention of his Majesty's Government to concede one. point more to that illiberal and preju diced people. My Lords, we must make a stand I somewhere; and where can we do it better than in defente,of our seamen and our trade, welch they unequivocally demand.. If America prefers French alliance to British conuexion, it is net in your Lord ships' power to controul her.choice ; nor can you prevent that war, which I do not with to see take place; but which, if it does take place, my Lords, I am confident, if persued by us with judgment and reference to the American charader and situation, no man need fear. With reaped to the affair of the Chesapeake frigate, as a Naval . Officer, I may be permitted to be a little prejudiced, and to hold an opinion in some degree differing, perhaps, from his Majesty's Government. It is ' not, however, my . intention to dispute the accuracy of their Proelamas ' tion lately issued, nor the principle of respeCt which is due to national ships of war, as applicable teethe Governments and Nations of Europe; but as merit ed by Ainerica, it' all the detail'of that transatiloo was before your Lorpships,. I am inclined to think you yourselves would question. ' However my .Lords, .while the American Navy is confine d to a few frigates, the compensation that has been made may not be of material import ; hew fir it, may affed us hereafter, time only can she*. , But, my Lords, our chief concern is with France, with whom some individuals would make a peace. I have taken the liberty, my Lords, to write down some of her sentiments' upon this subjetl, as desciibed in what we may call her Official Paper, and wherein she in forms you, conformably to her.praaic.-e since the earliest periods of her Revolution, of the.cotyluet ' she means to pursue, , and from which she has never varied, but . from necessity alone. She proclaims, my Lords, " That bhe will not only not 'lay down her arms, bet will augment her force, un til she has conquered. the 'liberties . of the seas, the first right of all nations." Her recommending to us an armed truc e , which she calls a peace, says,, " It shall endureentil she chooses to proclaim anew the principles of her Armed Neutrality, when she, permits you to,proclaim your principlecof Maritime Law." Now, my Lords, is this that which you are', willing to accept as your Peace ? Have we already forgot the Peace of Amiens ? Do WO wish to see 'her seamen all restored, and the pendants of, her ships going, up, when ours will necessarily be coming , down ? Nev'er will I . believe that- the good sense of this Country will entertain the idea ..of Peace, entil moderation marks the condutit of this Enemy, for his professions are not worthy of refiedlion. I am-glad to see a great commercial city think like me, and I hope her opinions and example will be, imitated by others. My Lords, although the antis of Europe may appear on the side.ef France, I can.: not believe their hearts are against this Country. If we remain firm and unappalled, as recommended by his Majesty and exemplified by,himsell, some • balance may yet be preserved in Europe ; if we I yield, no man can foresee the consequences. Hav ing now, my. Lords, though in a very inadequate: manner, animadverted upon the prominent featurei of the Speech, I shall cern:hide my. Address to your . . Lordships; iu what. may be termed a trite ._and come won manner ; but it is neither, on that account, the less appropriate. nor required. I. allude, my. Lords, , to my herpes; that I May, receive the unani- P mans couturrc:Uc© of your .Lord,hips to tili Mked. am about to propose. Parliament was never 'as eembled, my Lords, at a period when the example of unanimity would be so heneficial ; I therefore solicit it, to mark to - the. Enemy- we are unani mous in i pur opposition, to him ;' to manifest to the ,people of this Country we are unanimous ; when their first and most essential interests are concerned; and to show to his Majesty that undiminished re sped and attachment so much his due; to do , our duty, my Lords, in imitation of him, who through: a long, arduous, but a glorious. reign, has so eorispi , cuouAy done his. • • • His Lordship concluded by moving an Addreseto, his Majesty, which, as usual, re-echoed the-senti ments of the Speech. . • Lord KENYON seconded the .Address.-- He touched on the topic; of the Speech, as hadibeen , kw by the Noble Mover, but :he: - dwelt chiefly: on: that passage which related to the Emigration of the; :Court of Portugal to the Brazils, which hea.cunsider td al a measure likely to produce the most beneficial. effeas to this Country. He also adverted to uhr dis pute .With America, and applauded the spirit -with which ,Ministers had concluded themselves in not sutrendering the Naval rights of the Country to the chinas of those people ; and .he conautled by hoping that the House, by unanimously voting the Address, would • shew to the Common enemy that they could hope nothing from a disunion in our domestic opi Mans. • • . • • The Duke of NORFOLK said, he had hoped that the proposed Address-would have been so framed, that it might have met the unanimoussupport of the Hense. He lamented that Mitiiiteri had not - done that which upon the present occasion was so easy to base-done, but that they had stepped ontargetheir way to claim an unqualified: approbation from the those of all they had done. Wishing much he could. bring himself to' agree to the Address as it stood, there was one .part. which he must objea to. support in the form in which it now stood: he meant that pit of it which went itranswer to his Majesty's Speech relative to the Expedition 'to Copenhagen. He ga'e one qualified approbation,of the measure: It was not his intention to say at present it was wrong; he would wait until they had the doeus.' meats Woke the House which might enable hinito judge of the propriety of it. If Denmark buten tered hto a hostile confederacy - against us, it might 4ave lx,en very right, and .Ite3 wished not to' Wale, in the remotest degree, thatHthe : measure might eat hereafter be justified; but 'at preeentthey had neinformation before them on which they could decide; and therefore he objeded Wise called upon; while they remained in complete ignorance of the merits of the measure, - to vote au unqualified ap . probation of it in the present stage.. He 'should 'therefore move an Amendment, whichmoold be by leaving out the words in the Address relative to that ' subject. With reaped. to the other topics. of the Speech, it was net his intention to say any thing upon themat present ; oot meaning to pledge him self toan apptobation of the measures Of•Admipi stration by the vote he • should give that night, he should reserve to himself the right of future dis cussion and examinatiop, when they should sepa rately come before the House. Lord SfDit/04/TH rose, and expressed his ap probation ofahe Amendment proposed by We Noble Duke. In common with him, he lamented that in a case where Ministers might have passes,' an Ad dress which could have been unanitnously voted, they had departed from pat obvious line,of and called upon the douse absolutely to Vote what they.must know some .of their Lordships conscien:- tiously could not support. It might easily be : sup posed, that he. elladed to the Expeditien to C..lopen bagel). Most willingly he would have Waited until • all the, documents which *could have slimed the necessity of the measure had been before • the • House, befere would . have. willingly pro nounced any opinion , upon it. Strong as he felt the Measure required the most cogent reasons to justify it, and, aPparently harsh as ,it appeared on the face . of it, Yet had any one proposed to vote a censure on Administration for having adopt ed it, he would have been among the first to have opposed such a ruction, until the reasons and motives, cud proofs of the . , necessity, had been adduced, by which it was thought to be joint - red. But he could not blindly give it his unqualified approbation. Pe- - airous as ho was of unanimity, and important as he thought it ,at the present crisis to the best interests of the country, yet there was a certain point of quiesCence beyoud' which no Governmedt had a . right to expo% nor any honourable man could go., On this ground, therefore, lie must with hold his assent to that part of the Address. If he were called upon to decide, with the , information he at present possesSed, be must Say, it appeared. to him, that the seizure of ,the Danish Fleet .could in no manner be just ified. : He had' looked into the documents which had been referred to, and those do conients did not warrant the inference which it was contended w to be drawn from them. His Majesty. bad been advised to declare, that it was with greet compumiliou and regret .he felt hiMself under the ne cessity of resorting to coercive measures against the Danes. If ft were clearly known to his' Majesty's Miniaters that the Danes / lied entered into a hostile Confederacy against' ,us, the measure was perfeet'y' • justifiable, and ought to haVe been executed without say feelings of,regret, because it was then a measure of just precaution, and warranted by 'their hostile conduct. The Noble Lord who moved the Addrbss' argued, it was evidept that the Danes were in hostile • preparation to us, becaitie their warehouses were . found full of naval stores, . I 2 it were so; their senti ments of hostility must have originated ranch earlier than' Was attributed to thepl. Jr was not pretended that they were hostile to us whiletttissia was in atifity ,p_L , • and yet they'nerst have been if any arguirieat was to :be &mil tram their navel - store,;, since those stores could' not have been co ll eeted tiller the Treaty. of Tilsit. The Peace of li6it stns iistictlon the gat of {r 6E iixrtrviv I July, and Lord Gam . bier entered the Baltic on Cie September; so that either Denmark N.;111 1100ii¢, whilteßussia wait in amity with es, and liptibeen pie ledingstores for her hostile purposes, or no argument • was to• be drawn. from the poses ion of theM,:e e . Bnt, in 'fat% chow did Lord G uthiet find ,theni employed ? !The Danish ertisyat . that time was ;ic e . Htnelly in- Holstein,, ready to ,repel any eiplaiion of. their territory .by the French, (Tally other . Power : . Their Ships were laid ep in ordiunry, no weyeex,- 1; peEtipg: the attack which was made opotethem., None of theae.circumstanceeevinced any hostilejue tentiens against , use It. had, however, been assum e , ed,- that the French once heiug in poaessioa of Holstein, •that of • necessity tie. Wend of Zealand. `mustfall into their hands. .He lied conversed wh it _ many menebotheutval aed.militerye, and their opi e niers was, that the coeseauenee'did nqt by ,e l y, inezir , :c necessarily follow. ..In. theetnumer,. while , the 4ea, remained unfrozen, the invading attuy,_could not pass . , without vessels; or against the power of a fleet ; and, in the winter. he understood the ice might he.auffie cientlydrokee near the, shoreS nepreveptehe passage of an.farmye If, the'refore, it, (04 nut riecessa,n7, follow that the reduthote of lielsteet led the way to the reduißion of Zealand,. the _Expedition was not •juStitiable on the ground of self,delence ; for, supposing-nohostility aaually W3f; 447,00 ;spies( eS ; by the Danes,and the French had succeeded in gait►- . ing possession of Holstein e the , Crowp prince ,would naturally have, to England as the Ta;t ee. from whence it could kivee derived protection and, assistance. But if theeneasure were to he justified on the ground.olnecessity, that tbeDenea,elthengh not hostilely disposed toward us, might have ben fere-, ed unwillingly to have turned theirNeVy egenisees,, and that therefore we unwillingly attacked .ihein—es In such case he shoukl say it was fit tohalailee tureen the evil we expeaed to avert from ourselves, and that , we were about to intlio on an enreetelin party. It was with nations as with individuals. Wat were not justified in following our own. interests at , any price ; and balancing between she in. his ' mind there, was not that weight in layourof the measure ,to warrant its -adoptinn. In . ehe.: firae place, teethe honour of the chartaer of, the Be Lis!, Navy, he would net. allow it to he said, even . had the enemy possessed themselves of the 16 sail of the line belonging , to. Denmark, that it ,wtitAd have put this. country. into any s,ri9ul deeger. fore the Battle of Tratalger and the teM g!er s iette vielox' cs which had reduced-the maritime 1 ower • our enemies, their navel force ttias much eraatcr than the addition of the Danish nay/paid now ; s and yet we never. Theught, eerselves.in sti It Innen/ nent danger to warrant. a departure front ,all the rules of good faith and morality. Why now mere than at other periods make i; a ground of ateLchicez .an innocent and unoffending Aely.? iiut if ihe metes . reasoned upon in justieteltioe was e te e it was a better reason for attacktng Itt.S,ia than le: lkt 'mark. It was said, the necessity Lrose fro m ib q stipulations of the Peace of Tilsit. How li..ppen,,Al it then _that after the Peace of TilAt, a itussi4l l ee t k was suffered to min in the Mediterranean unite) / tested ; nay more, that , three Pktoisian ships of tour • were suffered to pass threegh the British fleet:in the Baltic. Did nut this look like letting the l e eeee ed offender eScape, andinfliding vengeance fenceless ? The same force which attacked Coecu bagen might heed been more honourably and bene• ticially employed against Croestadt,-4le knew.very well what was the late Lord Nelson's o,..inion on ilia 'pradicability -of this. measure.; •and it it had been adopted our force would not only have been applied against the hostile Power, bui,we should have therea by rendered a powerful diversion - in favour of ,our Ally the KeUg of Sweden.' Oil these grounds, he could not, with the preterit information he.bad on • the subjea, vote for an unqualified approhatien of the Expedition to Copenhagen. His Lordship tliers adverted to other topics, and dwelt chiefly on tins relative state of this Country with America he did not . think a War with 4merica so trivial a netlike as was generally supposed ; he trusted it would be t . et e verted, and he approved the condua of Governmeut in giving up the right of search of ships of war be - t he wished to know why it was not disclaiMed in this first instance, since it was more than Probableethat many Naval Officers would o& on the precedent of Admiral Berkeley, unless they know that Govern ,ment had-disclaimed that 'unauthorised a6t. , With reap& to the queation of Peace, however desirahte it might be, 'he was of opinion with a Noble "Lord h.filtony who had truly said it was not to be obtained by talking : they must be prephed for war; and, in his opinion, a large efficient fbroe both for Peace and War ought tube in readiness. lie Could wish that some meesures should be adopted hyw hick the country might. be put intti a state that, . at .all times,_ under very short notice, it ,could .produce art efficient armed,tbrce. The nature and state el the times, in his opinion, required sonie such tum§ura 01 , yigour. With that we might hope to obtain a desirable Peace. 'His Lordship having treated on these subjealsat length, sat down,,es.pre.ssing,his probation ofethe Amendment at proposed by th* Noble. Duke.;* • . The Earl eIBERD.E.Ek supported,the At.LlN,as ilea short speeeh, in Which -he took,e brief reeieet of the several circumstances mentioned in the, Ad••dress from the Throne, and applauded the wis499l i and vigour by which the recent acts of Government had been distinguished. ,• Lord GRENVILLE agreed in the terms of‘the King's Speech, . that we were " in the crisis of ties fate of the Country, and that the eyes of thtewoeld were.fixed upon the British Parliament;", tor e ppon their wisdom et thepresent moment depended the existence of the British Empire, which had stood: a thousand years,: and of the British Constitutioo,, the pride and boast of human wixdomj - both hvl,tifigned and: grown together,' and could only bolualogatned and. preserved :by . the prudence • of atbe ineatinces ; which: l'arliatnent were now-Amu; to adopt.. tlato "'.tql , '‘CVI Loitt f r . • I~ ~~1 :;~ a 7